they view the world, they pick at the holes

Apparently the Great Wall of China was built in parts by groups of workers.

‘…many great gaps were left, which were only filled in gradually and bit by bit, some indeed, not till after the official announcement that the wall was finished. In fact it is said that there are gaps which have never been filled in at all… and which cannot be verified, at least by any single man with his own eyes and judgement, on account of the extent of the structure.’ Kafka

We are walls. We meander through life, looking for holes that we know are there, if only we could find them. Before and behind - holes are our weakness - holes that undermine our entirety, that let our enemies through. We need surveyors to stand afar and point to our holes. We need an endless supply of bricks to try to fix them.